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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 116 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: rule · wax · key · season · wind · branch · craft · mate

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. season — of the year
  3. key — for a lock
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. key — in music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rule — a law
  15. wax — to grow
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. season — in sport
  22. rule — government
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wind — moving 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