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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — for money
  6. bound — certain
  7. stand — to bear
  8. band — a music group
  9. board — a committee
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bound — obliged
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bank — of a river
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. band — a ring
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wax — to grow
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wax — for sculpting

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