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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: leaves · land · mate · wax · fan · pitcher · kid · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. land — a country
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. land — ground
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — child

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