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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — from crying
  5. sharp — clever
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bank — for money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. file — a line of people
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. plane — a tool
  22. tear — to rip
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — with an edge

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