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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: cap · wax · branch · jam · snap · pitcher · bear · ground

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. snap — to click
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. jam — in traffic

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