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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. current — happening now
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. current — of water
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. content — happy
  11. tear — from crying
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mug — a face
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wound — an injury
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. content — the amount
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mug — to rob
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wound — an injury

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