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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: jam · branch · hand · wax · wound · mark · lean · bulb

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. hand — in cards
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lean — thin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hand — help

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