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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fork — in a road
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wax — to grow
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — a division
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mouse — the animal

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