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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rule — a law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rule — government
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. content — the amount
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — a division
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. wind — moving air

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