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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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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: branch · snap · board · date · tear · wax · wind · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. last — finally
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. last — final
  21. tear — to rip
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. date — on the calendar
  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