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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 120 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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rest — a break
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — to recline
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rest — what's left
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. scale — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. kid — child
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — a division
  24. wax — to grow

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