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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: degree · bank · fall · club · wax · kid · pit · chair

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fall — the season
  11. degree — from a university
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bank — for money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chair — a leader

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