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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: fine · branch · clip · leaves · mine · wax · pop · ruler

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — a video
  7. pop — music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — high quality
  18. branch — a division
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fine — a penalty

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