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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. branch — a division
  5. rule — government
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. shower — to wash
  8. present — there
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. key — in music
  14. present — the time now
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. present — a gift
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. key — the most important part
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. shower — rain

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