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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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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: bank · bulb · pound · cold · stand · wax · branch · capital

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. branch — a division
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cold — an illness
  11. capital — money
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bank — for money
  15. capital — a city
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cold — not warm

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