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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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. drill — the tool
  4. track — a path
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. drill — army training
  8. field — for sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. track — to keep track
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. drill — a practice
  15. field — farmland
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. track — a song
  18. kick — in football
  19. wax — to grow
  20. content — happy
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. field — a subject

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