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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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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: snap · row · branch · root · wax · stick · bowl · bear

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. branch — a division
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — to grow
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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