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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. 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. wax — to grow
  2. branch — a division
  3. key — for a lock
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lie — to recline
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. field — a subject
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. 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