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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: mine · bowl · drill · wake · last · wax · branch · spell

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — to go on
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — final
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — letters
  13. branch — a division
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wax — to grow
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — a short time

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