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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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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: chip · foot · pass · bear · kid · mouse · band · wax

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. pass — a permit
  3. foot — a measure
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. band — a ring
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chip — to eat
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bear — to put up with
  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