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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: wax · rash · safe · stick · bank · pitcher · field · pop

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bank — for money
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — for sport
  23. pop — soda
  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