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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 120 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: ground · racket · wax · saw · lie · mouse · court · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wax — to grow
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lie — to recline
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ground — a position
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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