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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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Word bank
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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: drill · object · wax · spring · mark · face · branch · pop

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. face — to confront
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. object — to protest
  6. drill — army training
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — to point toward
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. object — an aim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pop — soda
  15. mark — a grade
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. object — a thing
  23. spring — the season
  24. branch — a division

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