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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spring — the season
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. suit — to fit
  17. spring — of water
  18. suit — in cards
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — child
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spring — a coil
  24. squash — to crush

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