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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bank — for money
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — for money
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bank — of a river
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — a trail
  21. land — to come down
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — a country
  24. shower — rain

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