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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. object — an aim
  7. snap — to click
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. track — a song
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. object — to protest
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fine — all right
  22. track — to keep track
  23. object — a thing
  24. track — a path

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