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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — to trim
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bank — for money
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. foot — a measure
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. race — a contest
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. foot — the bottom
  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