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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 120 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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. branch — a division
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. land — a country
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — music
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. land — ground
  23. bass — the fish
  24. land — to come down

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