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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wax — to grow
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bound — certain
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. arm — part of the body

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