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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — to grow
  5. squash — to crush
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pop — to visit
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cap — a hat
  15. squash — the sport
  16. press — to push
  17. pop — soda
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pop — music
  24. cap — a lid

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