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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: spring · wax · clip · bear · bay · drill · ball · branch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — army training
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — to cut
  8. spring — the season
  9. clip — for paper
  10. branch — a division
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. clip — a video
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — of water
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. drill — a practice
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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