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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. snap — to click
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. current — electric
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. row — a line
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. lie — to recline
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. row — to paddle
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rest — a break
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pop — music

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