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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · wax · racket · cell · bark · wave · bound · foot

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cell — a phone
  7. foot — a measure
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bound — certain
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bound — obliged
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. racket — a loud noise

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