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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: stock · bore · court · wax · branch · press · mine · calf

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — shares
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stock — goods
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. court — of law
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. press — to push
  12. branch — a division
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wax — to grow
  20. court — of a king
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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