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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: land · mug · bank · stick · wound · tear · wax · root

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mug — to rob
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — a country
  10. mug — a cup
  11. land — to come down
  12. root — of a word
  13. wax — to grow
  14. land — ground
  15. root — the cause
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mug — a face
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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