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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fall — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — ground
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fine — high quality
  15. branch — a division
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. club — for golf
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — a country

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