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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bass — the fish
  12. can — a tin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — low music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — to be able to
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — the instrument

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