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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. scale — size or range
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. scale — in music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. scale — for weighing

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