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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — to wash
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rest — a break
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. shower — rain
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wax — to grow
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rest — what's left

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