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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: bark · mug · bound · file · racket · saw · bank · wax

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mug — a face
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. file — a line of people
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a document
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wax — to grow

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