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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 116 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: mouse · band · kick · cold · wax · mine · mate · suit

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. suit — to fit
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cold — an illness
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kick — in football
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. band — a music group
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. suit — in cards

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