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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: band · mug · branch · squash · field · can · wax · snap

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. squash — to crush
  4. band — a ring
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — a division
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. field — farmland
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. mug — a cup
  16. field — for sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — to be able to
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. snap — to click
  24. wax — in the ear

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