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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: cabinet · mate · straw · current · bank · wound · game · wax

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. current — of water
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a match
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bank — for money
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — electric
  21. bank — for money
  22. current — happening now
  23. wound — an injury
  24. game — wild animals

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