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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 120 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: wax · tear · pop · sharp · spring · fork · mouse · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spring — the season
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — clever
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — of water
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wax — to grow

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