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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
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: bear · rash · branch · chair · row · degree · safe · wax

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. branch — a division
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rash — a series
  12. degree — temperature
  13. row — a line
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — to grow
  24. branch — of a bank

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