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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wax · squash · saw · branch · foot · clip · tube · kick

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tube — a container
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. kick — in football
  13. tube — the underground
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. clip — to cut
  19. branch — a division
  20. foot — a measure
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. squash — the sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. kick — with a leg

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