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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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Word bank
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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fork — in a road
  9. toast — bread
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rash — a series
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mine — for digging
  21. branch — a division
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wax — to grow

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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