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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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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bank — of a river
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bank — for money
  11. band — a ring
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. band — a music group
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. face — to confront
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — to point toward

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