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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: rock · shower · wax · mouse · clip · branch · foot · mark

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rock — music
  8. clip — a video
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mark — a trace
  14. branch — a division
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wax — to grow
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rock — a stone
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. shower — rain
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wax — in the ear

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