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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. branch — a division
  9. lean — thin
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. season — in sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rule — government
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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