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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — to grow
  3. drill — a practice
  4. clip — for paper
  5. drill — the tool
  6. board — to get on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. swing — to play on
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. drill — army training
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. clip — a video

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