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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. charge — a price
  3. face — part of the head
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. charge — electricity
  9. swing — in golf
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rest — a break
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. swing — music
  18. charge — in control
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. branch — of a bank

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