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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: race · pound · fan · branch · wax · fall · bat · suit

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. branch — a division
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. suit — to fit
  18. fall — the season
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. race — humankind
  22. suit — clothes
  23. race — a contest
  24. suit — in cards

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