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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: sharp · fine · branch · tear · fall · nail · wax · shower

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — a division
  5. fine — all right
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. shower — to wash
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — rain
  20. fall — the season
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — on a finger

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