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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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. branch — a division
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bark — to shout
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bat — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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