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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a document
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. branch — a division
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — to tire
  10. game — a match
  11. bore — to drill
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. file — a tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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