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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bore — to drill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. last — final
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. board — to get on
  16. perch — the fish
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. board — a committee
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — a division
  22. band — a ring
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. band — a music group

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