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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. branch — a division
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pop — soda
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. nail — on a finger
  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