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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — electric
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rash — a series
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wax — in the ear

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