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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: wax · mug · perch · field · date · branch · tube · jam

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. field — for sport
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mug — a cup
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. date — the fruit
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. tube — a container
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — farmland
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. perch — the fish

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