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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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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: bank · spring · net · cue · tear · wax · chip · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. net — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. net — after costs
  9. bank — of a river
  10. net — for catching
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bank — for money
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spring — the season
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. club — for golf
  22. spring — of water
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — a signal

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