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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 120 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — a face
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tube — a container
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. cold — not warm
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. object — to protest
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mug — to rob

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