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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rash — hasty
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. land — a country
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. land — ground
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. board — a committee
  13. mate — a friend
  14. toast — bread
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cue — for pool
  19. board — to get on
  20. rash — a series
  21. cue — a signal
  22. land — to come down
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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