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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — happy
  4. branch — a division
  5. suit — in cards
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — the amount
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. suit — clothes
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cue — for pool
  14. last — final
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chip — to eat
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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