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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. game — a match
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rock — music
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rock — a stone
  12. branch — a division
  13. rest — a break
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. staff — employees
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — of a tree

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