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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — to breed
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bound — obliged
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bound — tied together
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — certain
  21. bank — for money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bank — of a river

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