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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — a division
  5. ground — the earth
  6. track — a song
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ground — a position
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — for digging
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — electric
  24. track — to keep track

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