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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: last · fan · lie · branch · root · track · court · wax

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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 — final
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. root — of a word
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lie — to recline
  14. root — the cause
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. last — to go on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. last — finally
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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