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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fall — the season
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wax — to grow
  7. perch — the fish
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bank — for money
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wound — an injury
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — for money
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cold — an illness
  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