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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: mouse · stick · tube · pit · march · fall · wax · branch

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fall — the season
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — a division
  20. march — the month
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mouse — for a computer

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