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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — to crush
  3. last — to go on
  4. bank — for money
  5. net — in sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. court — of a king
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. court — of law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — final
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — low music
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — for catching
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. last — finally
  23. bank — of a river
  24. nail — on a finger

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