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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to click
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a committee
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bore — to drill
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — to get on
  24. wax — in the ear

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