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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fine — all right
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mug — a face
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — rain
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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