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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bank — for money
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wake — a trail
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — rain
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bank — of a river
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. march — music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — before a funeral

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