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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: chest · lean · bank · straw · ruler · wax · file · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lean — thin
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bank — for money
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a document
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. chest — a box
  24. bank — of a river

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