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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a document
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tear — from crying
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bank — for money
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bear — the animal
  14. file — a line of people
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. bank — of a river
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bank — for money
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — to put up with

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