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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: stick · mouse · content · kid · racket · roll · rash · wax

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — the amount
  10. kid — child
  11. rash — a series
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. content — happy
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rash — hasty
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wax — to grow
  24. roll — a list

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