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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. march — music
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wake — a trail
  8. march — the month
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — the month
  18. current — electric
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chip — for betting
  21. key — in music
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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