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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: sharp · saw · bark · wax · rush · straw · bank · kid

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. kid — child
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. sharp — clever
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bark — to shout
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wax — to grow
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bank — of a river
  24. straw — a straw man

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