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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bore — to tire
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pound — a weight
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rest — a break

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