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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: tear · mouse · wax · straw · racket · ball · stem · mug

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mug — a face
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a great time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mug — to rob

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