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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: fall · ball · mine · deal · present · pitcher · branch · wax

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — the season
  13. branch — a division
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mine — for digging
  18. present — there
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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