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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: bore · chair · branch · wind · race · wax · fan · degree

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — a contest
  15. branch — a division
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. degree — from a university

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