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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. branch — a division
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — finally
  7. board — a committee
  8. last — final
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wax — to grow
  12. plane — a tool
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. last — to go on
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. board — to get on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — in the ear

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