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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
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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: fork · kick · mouse · mine · wound · pop · present · wax

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. present — there
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pop — soda
  13. kick — in football
  14. present — a gift
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. present — the time now
  19. pop — music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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