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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. file — a document
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. file — a tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. branch — a division
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. kid — to tease
  17. file — a line of people
  18. kid — child
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fork — to eat with

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