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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fall — the season

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