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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. swing — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. shower — rain
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rash — a series
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. shower — to wash

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