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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: wax · pop · squash · race · branch · fall · bound · cabinet

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pop — to visit
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. race — humankind
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bound — certain
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fall — to drop
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fall — the season
  18. branch — a division
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pop — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. branch — of a bank

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