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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.

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: present · ruler · bark · wound · branch · wax · stem · track

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. present — there
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. branch — a division
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bark — to shout
  20. track — a path
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. present — the time now
  24. branch — of a tree

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