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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. deal — to handle
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cold — not warm
  13. spring — the season
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rule — a law
  18. tube — a container
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — thin
  22. rule — government
  23. spring — a coil
  24. deal — an agreement

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