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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stem — to come from
  7. scale — in music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. land — ground
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. branch — a division
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. land — a country
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — size or range
  18. land — to come down

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