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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — finally
  7. suit — in cards
  8. last — to go on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. last — final
  12. fine — all right
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — to shout
  16. suit — clothes
  17. fine — high quality
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. branch — a division

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