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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ball — a great time
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ball — a dance
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. capital — a city
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — money
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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