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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. degree — an amount
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. club — for golf
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. club — a group
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. degree — from a university
  21. branch — a division
  22. track — to keep track
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lean — thin

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