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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: wind · wax · kid · staff · racket · saw · ball · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wax — to grow
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. kid — child
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. staff — employees
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. ball — a dance
  21. staff — employees
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wax — in the ear

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