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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: key · content · staff · bowl · root · wake · branch · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. staff — a stick
  3. content — happy
  4. root — the cause
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wake — a trail
  10. branch — a division
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. key — in music
  15. content — the amount
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. root — of a word
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. root — of a plant
  22. key — for a lock
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — videos and posts

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