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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: branch · wake · wax · trunk · snap · pop · band · ruler

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. branch — a division
  4. band — a ring
  5. pop — to visit
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pop — music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. snap — to click
  20. band — a music group
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a car

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