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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — to handle
  6. net — in sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. net — for catching
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. march — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. net — after costs
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. kid — child
  19. wax — to grow
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — a division

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