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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 124 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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — for paper
  9. current — happening now
  10. club — for dancing
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. club — a group
  17. bore — to tire
  18. clip — to cut
  19. snap — to click
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — a video
  22. current — electric
  23. club — for golf
  24. prune — to trim

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