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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rash — a series
  7. march — music
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cap — of ice
  17. march — the month
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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