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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. file — a document
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — to be able to
  11. branch — a division
  12. file — a line of people
  13. can — a tin
  14. file — a tool
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. can — a tin
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rash — a series
  24. wax — to grow

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