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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: branch · season · stock · pitcher · race · wave · wax · saw

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stock — shares
  9. branch — a division
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — humankind
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. race — a contest
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. stock — goods

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