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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — a phone
  4. charge — a price
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — a division
  7. net — after costs
  8. band — a music group
  9. wax — to grow
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. charge — in control
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. charge — electricity
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wax — for sculpting

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