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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: racket · tear · wax · ball · lie · branch · root · band

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a plant
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. band — a music group
  8. root — the cause
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a ring
  15. root — of a word
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wax — to grow
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — in the ear

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