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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: safe · branch · hide · wax · hand · bat · mark · stock

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — shares
  18. bat — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stock — goods
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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