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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: branch · rest · kick · tube · fork · mine · wax · fine

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. kick — in football
  7. rest — a break
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. branch — a division
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fine — all right
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fork — in a road
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. tube — in a tire

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