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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 116 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: cold · file · tear · pop · wax · chip · bank · bulb

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bank — for money
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pop — soda
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. chip — for betting
  13. file — a document
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bank — for money
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pop — to visit

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