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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: dip · branch · key · pound · wound · chest · wax · arm

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. chest — of your body
  3. key — in music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. key — the most important part
  11. branch — a division
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. key — for a lock
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chest — a box
  24. pound — for dogs

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