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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. foot — a measure
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. row — to paddle
  8. content — the amount
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — happy
  12. bank — for money
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bank — for money
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — to grow
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. row — a line
  24. bank — of a river

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