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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: wave · firm · wax · branch · kick · perch · content · swing

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. perch — the fish
  3. swing — music
  4. firm — a company
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. swing — in golf
  7. branch — a division
  8. content — happy
  9. swing — to play on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. firm — decided
  15. kick — in football
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. content — the amount

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