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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — to grow
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. club — a group
  6. branch — a division
  7. wind — moving air
  8. club — for golf
  9. mark — a trace
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. track — to keep track
  13. club — for dancing
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — in a road
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. track — a song
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. track — a path
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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