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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: ball · bear · swing · saw · cap · bank · race · wax

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bank — for money
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bank — for money
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ball — a dance
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. race — humankind
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. swing — music

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