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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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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: racket · pop · foot · game · rash · pound · wax · kid

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rash — a series
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pop — soda
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rash — hasty
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pop — music
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — a match
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — child
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wax — to grow
  24. kid — to tease

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