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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · rash · drill · bank · cell · branch · face · wax

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. drill — army training
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bank — for money
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cell — in biology
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. branch — a division
  23. rash — a series
  24. bat — for baseball

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