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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. file — a document
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. current — electric
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — of water
  8. pit — a hole
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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