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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: hand · leaves · bank · net · ball · straw · wax · mouse

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — help
  3. wax — to grow
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. net — for catching
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. net — in sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bank — for money
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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