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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — in music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fall — the season
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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