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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · mine · temple · plane · fork · spell · wax · branch

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spell — letters
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spell — magic
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. wax — to grow
  16. plane — a tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. plane — an aircraft

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