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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: bore · track · mine · bank · wax · branch · foot · press

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — for digging
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bore — to drill
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bank — of a river
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. track — to keep track
  20. foot — a measure
  21. track — a path
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mine — belonging to me

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