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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spring — the season
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spring — of water
  5. shower — rain
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bank — for money
  11. cap — of ice
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cap — a hat

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