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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: branch · firm · wax · hand · bound · bat · land · craft

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. land — a country
  5. craft — boats
  6. firm — steady
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wax — to grow
  9. firm — a company
  10. bound — certain
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. firm — decided
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — in cards
  23. branch — a division
  24. hand — part of the body

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