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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: ruler · bass · mouse · temple · hand · bay · wind · wax

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bass — low music
  24. bay — a horse colour

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