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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: spring · dip · bear · kid · drill · suit · wax · rush

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. dip — to sink
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spring — the season
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. drill — army training
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. suit — to fit
  20. drill — a practice
  21. spring — of water
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rush — to hurry

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