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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chip — for betting
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. temple — a place of worship

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