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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. capital — a city
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. press — newspapers
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bark — to shout
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — a series
  19. capital — money
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. rash — hasty
  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