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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chip — to eat
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. scale — size or range
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chest — a box
  19. suit — in cards
  20. scale — in music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. suit — clothes
  24. branch — a division

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