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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: rule · cell · shower · ball · wax · branch · pound · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rule — a law
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cell — in biology
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pound — a weight
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cell — a phone
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rule — government
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ball — a great time
  20. branch — a division
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mug — a face
  24. rule — to rule out

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