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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cap — a lid
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. wax — to grow
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. can — a tin
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — a division
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. net — in sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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