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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · branch · wax · fan · degree · clip · saw · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — to grow
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — temperature
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — to cut
  18. degree — an amount
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. degree — from a university
  23. toast — bread
  24. saw — the tool

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