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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: bark · charge · mug · sharp · branch · wax · straw · mine

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mug — a face
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mine — for digging
  13. charge — electricity
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. charge — in control
  21. bark — to shout
  22. charge — a price
  23. mug — to rob
  24. branch — a division

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