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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: clip · branch · jam · wax · tube · press · ball · chest

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. branch — a division
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. ball — a great time
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. ball — a dance

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