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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bank — for money
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bank — for money
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. band — a music group
  9. file — a tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bank — of a river
  14. scale — size or range
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a document
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. file — a line of people

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