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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: branch · tube · chest · saw · rash · dip · cell · wax

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rash — hasty
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wax — to grow
  7. branch — a division
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — a series
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chest — a box
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cell — in biology

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