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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bank — of a river
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. drill — army training
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a document
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — for money
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — to rip
  23. file — a tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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