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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cold — an illness
  13. branch — a division
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rule — government
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rush — hurry
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rule — a law
  24. mark — a trace

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