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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — a match
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — shares
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. staff — employees
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. stock — goods
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stock — a soup base

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