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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — for money
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — of water
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — for money
  19. cue — for pool
  20. current — happening now
  21. club — a group
  22. current — electric
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. club — for golf

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