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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — low music
  13. root — the cause
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bank — for money
  17. root — of a word
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bank — of a river

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