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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mate — to breed
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wax — to grow
  9. race — humankind
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cue — a signal
  12. branch — a division
  13. field — for sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. race — a contest
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — a subject
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. field — farmland

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