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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — to grow
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bass — low music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spring — the season
  24. bear — the animal

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