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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cue — a signal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ground — a position
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rash — a series
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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