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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — an aim
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. club — a group
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. present — a gift
  11. object — a thing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — the underground
  15. present — the time now
  16. club — for golf
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. present — there
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. club — for dancing
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wax — to grow
  24. object — to protest

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