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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wax — to grow
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fine — all right
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pitch — completely
  22. branch — a division
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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