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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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · wax · mug · mine · bowl · branch · calf · cell

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. mug — to rob
  3. march — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. branch — a division
  7. march — the month
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wax — to grow
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. march — the month
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mug — a face
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bowl — to roll
  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