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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: pound · stick · wax · bass · rash · cold · foot · rock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rock — music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — low music
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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