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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. hand — help
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hand — in cards
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. charge — a price
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tube — a container
  14. charge — in control
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — shares
  17. tube — the underground
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — goods
  21. charge — electricity
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. hand — part of the body

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