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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lean — to bend
  4. race — humankind
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — help
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. race — the arms race
  12. branch — a division
  13. swing — to play on
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. staff — employees
  16. swing — in golf
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. swing — music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lean — thin
  24. race — a contest

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