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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: pop · wax · roll · chair · tube · straw · bank · ground

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bank — for money
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. roll — a cake
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. tube — the underground
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chair — a leader
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bank — of a river
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tube — a container
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ground — a position
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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