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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. band — a music group
  4. branch — a division
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — to grow
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. lie — to recline
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rush — a thrill

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