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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ground — the earth
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. board — to get on
  13. mug — a cup
  14. board — a committee
  15. shower — rain
  16. bank — for money
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — for money
  24. mug — a face

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