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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — humankind
  6. game — wild animals
  7. race — a contest
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. swing — to play on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. swing — music
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bank — of a river
  22. race — the arms race
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — a weight

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