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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: wax · rash · track · mouse · branch · spell · chest · bear

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. track — a path
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spell — magic
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — letters
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. track — a song
  19. chest — a box
  20. branch — a division
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rash — a series
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. branch — of a tree

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