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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bank — for money
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rash — a series
  9. bound — obliged
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bound — tied together
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rush — hurry
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — finally
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — hasty
  22. last — to go on
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rash — on the skin

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