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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mate — a partner
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. object — a thing
  8. branch — a division
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. object — to protest
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. object — an aim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — to breed

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