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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bank — for money
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. roll — a list
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — goods
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stock — shares
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bat — for baseball

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