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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 120 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: wax · clip · bank · pitcher · bound · kid · fan · stem

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. clip — a video
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — child
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bank — for money
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bank — for money
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wax — to grow

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