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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — for digging
  4. drill — a practice
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. charge — in control
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mug — a cup
  9. drill — army training
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. drill — the tool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. charge — a price
  22. mug — a face
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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