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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mug — a face
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — the season
  10. mug — to rob
  11. club — for dancing
  12. last — to go on
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — finally
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — a friend

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