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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. roll — a cake
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. roll — a list
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. club — for golf
  18. tear — from crying
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wax — to grow
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. key — in music

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