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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rock — music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. branch — a division
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mark — a grade
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rock — a stone
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bowl — a football final

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