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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — a subject
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. field — farmland
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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