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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: wax · chest · foot · straw · bowl · saw · mine · club

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chest — a box
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. club — for golf
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. foot — a measure
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mine — for digging
  22. club — a group
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — for sculpting

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