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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. branch — a division
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. suit — in cards
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pop — to visit
  17. suit — to fit
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — clothes
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pop — soda

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