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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: wax · branch · tear · bound · pit · march · cabinet · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. branch — a division
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bound — certain
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wax — to grow

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