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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. track — a song
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. current — happening now
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bank — for money
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. season — in sport
  13. bank — of a river
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a path
  16. current — of water
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bank — for money
  22. branch — a division
  23. wax — to grow
  24. season — of the year

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