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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — of a king
  8. bank — of a river
  9. current — happening now
  10. spring — the season
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — of water
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. current — of water
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. current — electric
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — to trim
  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