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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — a division
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stand — to bear
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wax — to grow
  16. row — a line
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. deal — an agreement
  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