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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — happening now
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bank — for money
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bank — of a river
  7. hand — help
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. current — of water
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. current — electric
  23. rest — a break
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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