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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. wax — to grow
  6. swing — in golf
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. drill — army training
  12. bank — for money
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pitch — completely
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. swing — to play on
  20. hand — help
  21. scale — in music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. swing — music

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