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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · bay · cold · cap · bank · swing · straw · wax

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — all right
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cold — the Cold War

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