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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 · branch · staff · fan · rest · tube · wind · race

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. staff — a stick
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — a contest
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wax — to grow
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. tube — the underground
  21. staff — employees
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — to cool the air

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