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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. last — to go on
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. file — a tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — finally
  9. bank — for money
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cue — a signal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. last — final
  17. cue — for pool
  18. band — a music group
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — all right
  24. cue — a hint

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