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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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 — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. scale — in music
  5. rule — a law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. board — a committee
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — to grow
  13. branch — a division
  14. scale — size or range
  15. degree — from a university
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bound — certain
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rule — government
  20. board — to get on
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  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