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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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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: wax · nail · fork · rest · coach · board · branch · cold

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rest — a break
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wax — to grow
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. board — to get on
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. board — a committee
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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