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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rest — a break
  11. race — humankind
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. branch — a division
  19. game — a match
  20. hand — help
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  24. game — a kind of play

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