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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. bank — for money
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. prune — to trim
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a dance
  17. toast — bread
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — size or range
  23. toast — the most admired
  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