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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: snap · wax · branch · wind · land · wound · charge · temple

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — electricity
  9. land — to come down
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — an injury
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. charge — in control
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. land — a country
  18. snap — to click
  19. charge — a price
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wax — to grow
  24. branch — a division

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