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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. track — a path
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a ring
  10. field — a subject
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bank — for money
  13. band — a music group
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — farmland
  16. shower — rain
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. track — a song
  20. field — for sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bank — of a river
  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