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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tear — to rip
  5. degree — an amount
  6. roll — a list
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wax — to grow
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — music
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. tube — a container
  23. roll — a cake
  24. tube — in a tire

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