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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 116 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: branch · prune · saw · lie · kick · fall · wax · clip

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. branch — a division
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — in football
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. clip — a video
  19. fall — the season
  20. lie — to recline
  21. clip — to cut
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. saw — the tool
  24. prune — the fruit

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