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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bank — for money
  5. row — a line
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. band — a music group
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — the fish
  20. band — a ring
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wax — to grow

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