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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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. hide — animal skin
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. dip — to sink
  18. game — a match
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. branch — a division
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. dip — to dunk

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