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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. craft — a skill
  4. branch — a division
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. stem — to come from
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. track — to keep track
  12. toast — bread
  13. track — a song
  14. craft — boats
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stock — goods
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stock — shares
  23. track — a path
  24. stem — a stem cell

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