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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. mine — for digging
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. firm — steady
  23. lean — thin
  24. shower — rain

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