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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. craft — boats
  7. ground — a position
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wax — to grow
  10. branch — a division
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. craft — a skill
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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