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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. club — a group
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wax — to grow
  13. club — for golf
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rest — a break
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rest — what's left
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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