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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: face · branch · fall · wax · arm · bank · mug · clip

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wax — to grow
  4. face — part of the head
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. clip — a video
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bank — for money
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. clip — for paper
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fall — the season
  20. mug — to rob
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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