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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bank — for money
  3. fine — high quality
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fine — all right
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wind — moving air
  18. roll — a list
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fine — a penalty

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