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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — of ice
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mark — a trace
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cap — a lid
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mark — a grade
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wax — to grow

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