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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — a tin
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chair — a leader
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. charge — a price
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — temperature

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