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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bank — of a river
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — for money
  9. shower — rain
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bank — for money
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — happy
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lean — to bend
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. lean — thin
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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