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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. track — a song
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bass — low music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bass — the fish

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