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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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. court — for sport
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — to get on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bank — of a river
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. snap — to click
  14. ground — crushed
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. ground — a position
  20. board — a committee
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — of a king
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — of law

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