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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cue — for pool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. branch — a division
  19. band — a music group
  20. rule — a law
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rule — government
  24. branch — of a bank

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