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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: mark · snap · branch · fine · wax · spring · bore · cue

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fine — all right
  9. bore — to drill
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bore — to tire
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spring — the season
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cue — a signal
  19. spring — of water
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fine — high quality
  23. branch — a division
  24. cue — for pool

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