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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. root — the cause
  5. branch — a division
  6. root — of a plant
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. plane — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. root — of a word
  16. bass — low music
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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