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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: wax · branch · ball · trunk · spring · drill · bass · temple

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — the fish
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. drill — a practice
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wax — to grow
  14. drill — army training
  15. spring — of water
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. spring — a coil
  24. temple — a place of worship

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