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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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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hand — help
  7. board — a committee
  8. cue — for pool
  9. board — to get on
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. track — a song
  13. content — happy
  14. rule — government
  15. track — a path
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cue — a hint
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. board — a flat piece

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