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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: can · hand · mine · rush · kick · wax · mug · pound

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — to rob
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. can — a tin
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. kick — in football

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