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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mine — for digging
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. dip — to sink
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wake — a trail
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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