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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 116 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: branch · wax · mouse · kick · wave · straw · rest · sharp

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kick — in football
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. sharp — clever
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. branch — a division
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mouse — the animal

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