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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: branch · nail · last · land · stick · wax · content · fork

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. land — to come down
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — finally
  21. land — ground
  22. content — happy
  23. land — a country
  24. fork — to eat with

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