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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: branch · wax · stem · march · bowl · content · hand · dip

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — to sink
  5. hand — in cards
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. march — music
  17. branch — a division
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. content — the amount
  24. bowl — a dish

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