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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cue — a signal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bank — of a river
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. game — wild animals
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cue — for pool
  24. court — of law

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