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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. snap — to click
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bank — for money
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitch — completely
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — an illness
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — to grow

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