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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — music
  6. current — electric
  7. march — the month
  8. field — a subject
  9. current — of water
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — happening now
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — to recline
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wax — to grow

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