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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. can — to be able to
  4. branch — a division
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. drill — army training
  9. can — a tin
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. drill — a practice
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wax — to grow
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. jam — a tight spot

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