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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: root · branch · wax · clip · calf · fan · capital · sharp

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. clip — to cut
  3. capital — a city
  4. root — the cause
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — clever
  15. capital — money
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. root — of a word
  24. sharp — with an edge

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