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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bore — to drill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. board — a committee
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. board — to get on
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. branch — a division
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fan — a supporter

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