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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. spring — a coil
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spring — of water
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spring — the season
  16. snap — to click
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fine — all right

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