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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — a path
  11. branch — a division
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — of the year
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wax — to grow
  22. track — a song
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — to keep track

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