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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. staff — a stick
  3. present — a gift
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mate — to breed
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rock — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. present — the time now
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. present — there
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. shower — rain
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — to grow
  22. branch — a division
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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