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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pop — music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rest — what's left
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rest — what's left
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — soda
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rest — a break
  24. kid — child

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