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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: board · wax · branch · club · perch · snap · bat · bulb

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — a division
  3. board — to get on
  4. club — for dancing
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. perch — the fish
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. snap — to click
  10. board — a committee
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. club — a group
  15. wax — to grow
  16. club — for golf
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — in an idiom

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