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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. kick — in football
  5. suit — in cards
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wax — to grow
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. file — a document
  15. game — wild animals
  16. suit — clothes
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. file — a tool
  21. last — finally
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. game — a match
  24. kick — with a leg

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