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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 120 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: wound · rest · bank · stick · content · wax · cell · hand

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rest — a break
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bank — for money
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — happy
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bank — of a river
  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