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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 120 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wax — to grow
  7. net — for catching
  8. saw — the tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. club — a group
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — after costs
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. club — for golf
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tube — in a tire

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