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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: fan · branch · arm · present · bound · dip · mark · wax

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bound — obliged
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. dip — to sink
  21. present — the time now
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. branch — of a tree

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