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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 116 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: wax · file · cabinet · content · squash · tear · branch · bank

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — the amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a document
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. squash — to crush
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bank — of a river
  15. tear — to rip
  16. file — a tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bank — for money
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. file — a line of people
  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