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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: toast · wax · swing · fall · branch · bear · stock · degree

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fall — the season
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. branch — a division
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stock — shares
  7. swing — to play on
  8. degree — from a university
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stock — goods
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. swing — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. branch — of a tree
  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