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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bank — for money
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — a measure
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bank — of a river
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. plane — a tool

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