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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. race — humankind
  7. bank — of a river
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rash — a series
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mug — a cup
  14. race — a contest
  15. mug — a face
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. band — a ring
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wax — to grow
  24. band — a music group

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