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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — in sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — to grow
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bank — of a river
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chair — a leader
  11. scale — in music
  12. net — after costs
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bank — for money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. net — for catching
  24. chair — to sit on

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