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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: mate · wax · spring · arm · foot · branch · wake · ground

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. branch — a division
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mate — a friend
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. wax — to grow
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mate — a partner
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spring — of water
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spring — a coil
  24. foot — a measure

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