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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 120 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: wax · firm · mate · stock · hide · branch · bat · cap

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — to grow
  5. branch — a division
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. firm — decided
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stock — shares
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. firm — a company
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. firm — steady
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stock — goods
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bat — the animal

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