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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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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: wind · key · shower · wax · snap · bank · kid · firm

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. firm — decided
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bank — of a river
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. key — for a lock
  16. snap — to click
  17. firm — steady
  18. key — in music
  19. bank — for money
  20. firm — a company
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bank — for money
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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