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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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Word bank
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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: bat · stick · land · wax · bear · rash · board · bank

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — to come down
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — a country
  10. board — to get on
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. board — a committee
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. land — ground

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