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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 120 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: branch · hide · fall · season · wax · root · bear · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. fall — the season
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. club — for golf
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. root — of a word
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wax — to grow
  20. club — a group
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fall — to drop

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