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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fine — all right
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bank — of a river
  11. root — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. root — the cause
  17. fine — high quality
  18. root — of a word
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bank — for money
  23. staff — employees
  24. bank — for money

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