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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: wound · leaves · club · foot · pound · bat · wax · hand

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — for dancing
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. pound — a weight
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — help

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