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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 120 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: clip · wax · lie · ruler · branch · bass · firm · field

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. bass — low music
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. firm — steady
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — farmland
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. branch — of a bank

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