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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — shares
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — to grow
  9. shower — to wash
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. craft — boats
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — for paper

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