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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. band — a ring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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