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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 120 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: wind · branch · ball · stand · content · mate · bark · wax

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stand — to bear
  4. branch — a division
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. content — happy
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ball — a dance
  23. content — the amount
  24. bark — to shout

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