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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. drill — the tool
  19. clip — to cut
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wax — to grow

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