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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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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: rash · bat · wax · wave · branch · bound · dip · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bound — obliged
  8. branch — a division
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bound — certain
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pound — a weight

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