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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — rain
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — obliged
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. pop — soda
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bound — tied together
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. present — there
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — certain
  24. shower — to wash

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