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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · net · pop · fall · wax · hand · bay · lean

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — after costs
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hand — in cards
  9. net — for catching
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — child
  14. lean — thin
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pop — music
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — soda
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hand — help
  24. kid — to tease

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