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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: branch · clip · scale · spell · object · net · wax · drill

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spell — magic
  4. object — an aim
  5. spell — a short time
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — a practice
  9. object — to protest
  10. net — after costs
  11. scale — in music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — a division
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — in sport
  18. drill — army training
  19. net — for catching
  20. clip — a video
  21. drill — the tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spell — letters
  24. wax — to grow

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