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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — government
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. branch — a division
  16. squash — the sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. pit — a hole
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. branch — of a tree

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