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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cell — in biology
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bank — for money
  15. toast — bread
  16. wax — to grow
  17. lean — to bend
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cell — a phone
  20. lean — thin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bank — for money

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