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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. key — the most important part
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. key — for a lock
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — a division
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. key — in music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — certain
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wind — moving air

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