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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — for digging
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rock — a stone
  10. kid — child
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rock — music
  15. race — humankind
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. race — a contest
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bank — of a river
  21. race — the arms race
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — for weighing

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