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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bank — of a river
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. squash — the sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. land — ground
  14. bank — for money
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. present — the time now
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — a country
  20. present — there
  21. perch — the fish
  22. land — to come down
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. perch — for a bird

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