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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — to grow
  4. march — the month
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. file — a tool
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bore — to drill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — happy
  12. branch — a division
  13. file — a document
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — to tire
  21. march — music
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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