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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mark — a grade
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wax — to grow
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. branch — a division
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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