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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a cup
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mug — to rob
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. branch — a division
  14. craft — boats
  15. bat — the animal
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mug — a face
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bore — to tire

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