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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 120 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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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: foot · rest · wax · mouse · wind · wake · bowl · mark

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rest — a break
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wake — a trail
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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