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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 116 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: present · mate · wax · nail · hand · rest · pass · branch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. present — there
  3. mate — to breed
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rest — a break
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. present — the time now
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — to grow
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — a permit
  21. present — a gift
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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