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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · scale · land · bank · bear · kick · staff · clip

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. land — a country
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — to grow
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kick — in football
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. staff — employees
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. scale — in music
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. clip — a video
  22. bank — of a river
  23. land — to come down
  24. staff — employees

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