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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cold — not warm
  8. vault — a safe
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — to grow
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — low 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