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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bear — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rush — hurry
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. branch — a division
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. key — in music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fall — to drop
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. key — the most important part
  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