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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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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: bank · bark · pound · perch · wax · kid · wave · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kid — to tease
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bank — for money
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — after costs
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kid — child
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pound — for dogs

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