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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tube — a container
  3. bank — for money
  4. fine — high quality
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — to get on
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fall — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. board — a committee
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spring — a coil
  17. row — a line
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bank — of a river
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bank — for money
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wax — in the ear

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