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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lean — to bend
  24. branch — a division

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