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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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. bound — certain
  4. bank — of a river
  5. track — a path
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. swing — music
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. swing — to play on
  13. track — to keep track
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bank — for money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wax — to grow
  23. track — a song
  24. bulb — of a plant

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