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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. branch — a division
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rule — a law
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — to visit
  15. spring — of water
  16. rule — government
  17. pop — soda
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pass — a permit
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pop — music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. spring — the season

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