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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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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: row · branch · wave · bore · hand · race · wax · fall

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. race — a contest
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — the season
  20. hand — help
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. race — humankind

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