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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bank — for money
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bank — for money
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a document
  13. lean — thin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. file — a tool
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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