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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rash — a series
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — rain
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — low music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bass — the instrument

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