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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. lean — thin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. last — to go on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. stem — to come from
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. drill — a practice
  14. last — finally
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lean — to bend
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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