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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spell — letters
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spell — magic
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bank — of a river
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pop — soda
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. branch — a division
  24. wind — to turn a key

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