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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. branch — a division
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cap — of ice
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ball — a great time

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