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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: roll · lash · bear · chair · pound · mine · wound · wax

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — a list
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pound — a weight

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