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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — in sport
  8. race — humankind
  9. bank — for money
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bank — of a river
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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