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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cell — in biology
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — to recline
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wax — to grow
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bank — for money
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tube — the underground
  23. shower — rain
  24. nail — for a hammer

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