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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bank — of a river
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cell — in biology
  6. kid — child
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. field — farmland
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bank — for money
  14. current — electric
  15. field — a subject
  16. suit — to fit
  17. field — for sport
  18. cell — a phone
  19. current — of water
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wax — to grow
  23. capital — a city
  24. wax — for sculpting

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