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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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. bank — of a river
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bank — for money
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. capital — money
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wax — to grow
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mug — a face
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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