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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. court — of law
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — a division
  6. lie — to recline
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — of a king
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. board — to get on
  17. pass — a permit
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cold — not warm
  23. court — for sport
  24. cold — the Cold War

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