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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. bank — for money
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. content — the amount
  6. chair — a leader
  7. content — happy
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. face — to confront
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. face — part of the head
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bear — the animal
  20. craft — boats
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bank — for money
  23. bear — the animal
  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