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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rush — hurry
  8. branch — a division
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tube — the underground
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. game — a match
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tube — a container

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