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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — a division
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. march — music
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wax — to grow
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mine — an explosive

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