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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. march — the month
  2. bank — for money
  3. wax — to grow
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — music
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bank — for money
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wind — moving air
  16. band — a ring
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. hand — in cards
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. band — a music group
  23. hand — help
  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