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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — a division
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. degree — from a university
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pop — soda
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. degree — temperature

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