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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 116 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
468
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: wax · kid · coach · ground · branch · leaves · bear · mark

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. branch — a division
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mark — a grade
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ground — the earth
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bear — the animal

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