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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wax — to grow
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. face — to confront
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — a division
  21. degree — an amount
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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