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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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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: board · mug · wax · cell · coach · branch · content · prune

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. content — the amount
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. mug — to rob
  10. branch — a division
  11. board — to get on
  12. mug — a cup
  13. content — happy
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mug — a face
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — to trim

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