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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. can — to be able to
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mate — a friend
  5. scale — in music
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hand — help
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mate — a partner

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