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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: perch · bank · lash · wind · press · mine · ball · wax

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. press — to push
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bank — for money
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. perch — the fish

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