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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.

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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: shower · mouse · calf · clip · dip · wax · cap · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — rain
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. branch — a division
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cap — a hat
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. dip — to sink
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. clip — a video
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. dip — a sauce

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