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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. can — to be able to
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — low music
  16. present — the time now
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mine — for digging
  23. present — there
  24. branch — a division

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