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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — a gift
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. bank — for money
  9. scale — size or range
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. hand — in cards
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bank — of a river
  24. hand — help

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