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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wax — to grow
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. branch — a division
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. march — music
  18. last — final
  19. staff — employees
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — the fish
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — low music

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