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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bank — for money
  3. court — of a king
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. wax — to grow
  9. key — the most important part
  10. row — a line
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. court — of law
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. key — in music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. court — for sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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