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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. branch — a division
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wax — to grow
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. capital — money
  17. spell — magic
  18. bound — obliged
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. capital — a city

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