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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wax · wind · straw · spring · cabinet · game · bank · chip

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wax — to grow
  3. game — a match
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — for money
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — for betting
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wind — moving air
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bank — of a river

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