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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: tube · press · bat · root · branch · last · wax · mine

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bat — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — of a word
  7. press — newspapers
  8. branch — a division
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. root — the cause
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tube — the underground
  17. root — of a plant
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. press — to push
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. last — finally

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