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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: deal · bank · kid · pop · mate · sharp · trunk · wax

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. kid — to tease
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. kid — child
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pop — to visit
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bank — for money
  22. pop — music
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bank — for money

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