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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bank — for money
  3. lean — thin
  4. land — ground
  5. last — final
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. last — to go on
  11. cap — a hat
  12. foot — a measure
  13. land — a country
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — to come down
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bank — for money
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. cap — of ice
  24. last — finally

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