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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: club · hand · wax · rush · bank · rash · leaves · dip

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. club — for golf
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bank — of a river
  4. club — a group
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bank — for money
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bank — for money
  20. hand — help
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rash — hasty
  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