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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rush — hurry
  10. court — of a king
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bank — for money
  14. bound — certain
  15. court — for sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bank — for money
  18. court — of law

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