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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bank — for money
  3. club — a group
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. field — for sport
  7. club — for golf
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bank — of a river
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. mug — a cup
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bank — for money
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mug — to rob

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