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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · branch · trunk · mine · wave · temple · roll · wax

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cell — in biology
  13. roll — a list
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. roll — a cake
  23. wax — to grow
  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