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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 · branch · net · file · racket · tube · pit · kick

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pit — in a race
  8. kick — in football
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — for catching
  14. file — a document
  15. net — after costs
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a line of people
  20. tube — a container
  21. branch — a division
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a tool
  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