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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. branch — a division
  9. track — a path
  10. content — happy
  11. mine — for digging
  12. content — the amount
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. row — a line
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. snap — to click
  24. row — a quarrel

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