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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. band — a ring
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. root — the cause
  6. swing — to play on
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — to grow
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. swing — music
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — of a word
  16. race — the arms race
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. root — of a plant
  19. swing — in golf
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. march — music
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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