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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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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: bark · branch · club · wax · jam · cell · wound · safe

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. club — for golf
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wax — to grow
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cell — a phone
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. safe — out of danger

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