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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a great time
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mark — a grade
  24. chair — a professorship

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