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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · wind · bay · perch · season · spring · wake · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wind — moving air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — the season
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — in sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spring — of water
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bank — for money
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bank — for money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com