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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wax — to grow
  3. roll — a cake
  4. land — a country
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. face — to point toward
  10. roll — a list
  11. bound — obliged
  12. land — to come down
  13. face — to confront
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. branch — a division
  23. bound — certain
  24. tube — a container

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