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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: nail · bank · press · craft · mine · jam · wax · pitcher

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. craft — boats
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. wax — for sculpting

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