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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pass — a permit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. capital — money
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. club — a group
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wind — moving air
  16. capital — a city
  17. club — for dancing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wax — for sculpting

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