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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: arm · can · tear · branch · toast · wax · fall · march

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tear — to rip
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. can — to be able to
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fall — to drop
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fall — the season
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. march — the month
  20. toast — bread
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wax — to grow

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