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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: wound · bank · lie · staff · band · mouse · wax · cold

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. band — a music group
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cold — not warm
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a ring
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bank — for money
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — for money
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  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