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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cold — not warm
  3. suit — clothes
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. branch — a division
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bound — obliged
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bound — certain
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. branch — of a tree

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