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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — the earth
  8. court — for sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a music group
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bank — for money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of a king

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