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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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468
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: hide · fall · cell · craft · branch · cabinet · net · wax

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. cell — a phone
  2. branch — a division
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — in sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — the season
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. net — after costs
  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