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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: mouse · object · wax · tube · club · pound · branch · kid

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kid — child
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — for golf
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. club — a group
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. object — a thing
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. club — for dancing
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. pound — to hit hard

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