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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 124 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bank — of a river
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. capital — money
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a city
  20. shower — rain
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wind — moving air

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