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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — to grow
  3. present — the time now
  4. stock — goods
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — in a road
  13. present — there
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. present — a gift
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chest — a box

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