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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bass · last · track · drill · bowl · kid · bank

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. drill — a practice
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — finally
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — to go on
  9. bank — of a river
  10. last — final
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bass — low music
  14. track — to keep track
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bass — the fish
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. drill — army training

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