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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: key · mug · wax · drill · last · chest · ball · branch

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mug — a cup
  3. ball — a dance
  4. key — in music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. drill — a practice
  7. last — to go on
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chest — of your body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ball — a great time
  12. last — finally
  13. chest — a box
  14. mug — a face
  15. drill — army training
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. branch — a division
  24. last — final

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