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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 120 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: net · wax · rock · fall · face · hand · current · branch

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. current — electric
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. branch — a division
  10. net — in sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. current — of water
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — for catching
  17. hand — help
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. face — to confront
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — to point toward
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rock — music

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