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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — a stick
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. root — the cause
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. branch — a division
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — to confront
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. root — of a word
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. face — to point toward
  20. band — a ring
  21. root — of a plant
  22. band — a music group
  23. staff — employees
  24. prune — to trim

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