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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bass — the fish
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spring — of water
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bass — low music
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tube — a container
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. track — a path
  19. face — to confront
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. track — a song
  22. branch — a division
  23. rock — music
  24. tube — the underground

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