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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: can · last · lean · branch · band · degree · wax · stem

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. lean — thin
  5. band — a music group
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stem — to come from
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a ring
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. can — to be able to
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. can — a tin

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