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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a document
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — goods
  10. file — a tool
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bank — of a river
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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