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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · wax · branch · foot · cold · bay

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wax — to grow
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. branch — a division
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. branch — of a bank

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