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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: cold · calf · track · rash · toast · wax · bulb · branch

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cold — not warm
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — a division
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cold — an illness
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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