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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — magic
  7. net — in sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. toast — bread
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. club — for golf
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cell — a phone
  18. net — after costs
  19. spell — a short time
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. net — for catching
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. club — a group

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