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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: branch · saw · wind · rush · wax · rash · perch · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wax — to grow
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — a series
  12. branch — a division
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — hasty

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