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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. degree — from a university
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cell — a phone
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — to grow
  12. snap — to click
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. degree — temperature
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. charge — in control
  21. bank — of a river
  22. ball — a great time
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ball — a dance

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