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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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468
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: wax · pop · straw · sharp · bank · bark · stick · staff

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — employees
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — for money
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — music
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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