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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — the season
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — a division
  5. face — to confront
  6. spring — of water
  7. band — a ring
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a music group
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — a coil
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — for sculpting

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