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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: kid · wind · last · wave · bound · bat · wax · mouse

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. last — final
  24. kid — child

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