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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. firm — decided
  6. squash — to crush
  7. swing — to play on
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mark — a grade
  10. firm — a company
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — in golf
  13. craft — boats
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wax — to grow
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. squash — the sport
  21. swing — music
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mark — a trace
  24. firm — steady

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