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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: stand · wound · wax · branch · mark · rush · prune · bass

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bass — low music
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wound — an injury

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