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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — a line
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. land — to come down
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — ground
  11. fine — all right
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bark — to shout
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — a country
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fine — high quality
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wax — to grow

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