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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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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: race · wax · bore · spring · branch · rock · can · wake

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wake — a trail
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. can — a tin
  10. race — the arms race
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rock — music
  15. spring — the season
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — a division
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. can — to be able to
  24. spring — of water

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