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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: fine · firm · bat · foot · wax · sharp · branch · press

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. firm — a company
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — decided
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. sharp — clever
  9. firm — steady
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. press — to push
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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