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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wake — a trail
  3. staff — employees
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wax — to grow
  12. present — a gift
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pop — music
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pop — soda
  23. kick — in football
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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