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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rock — music
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. squash — to crush
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wax — to grow
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. squash — the sport
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rock — a stone

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