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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — a division
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. present — a gift
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. board — a committee
  19. spell — magic
  20. clip — a video
  21. present — the time now
  22. spell — letters
  23. chair — a leader
  24. present — there

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