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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lie — to recline
  5. board — a committee
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ball — a dance
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. land — a country
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. land — ground
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — to come down

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