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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bank — for money
  3. snap — to click
  4. branch — a division
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. present — there
  9. bank — of a river
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — a gift
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. present — the time now
  18. bank — for money
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chest — of your body

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