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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
468
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 · kid · mouse · file · rash · racket · cabinet · wax

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — a series
  13. kid — child
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. racket — for tennis

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