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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: wax · tear · bank · scale · bound · rush · staff · pitch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bank — for money
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. tear — from crying
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bank — for money
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bound — certain
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. staff — a stick

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