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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: wax · tube · wound · lean · bank · mouse · kid · stock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. lean — thin
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — child
  7. bank — for money
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lean — to bend
  13. stock — goods
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — a container
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stock — shares
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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