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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stand — to bear
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. bank — for money
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spring — of water
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. spring — the season
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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