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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: date · straw · stick · rest · nail · wax · bank · pop

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bank — of a river
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — a break
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rest — what's left
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wax — to grow
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bank — for money
  19. pop — soda
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pop — music
  24. wax — in the ear

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