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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — child
  7. net — after costs
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — to tease
  14. land — to come down
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — a country
  18. net — for catching
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. net — in sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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