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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: wax · hand · branch · row · bat · season · rock · wave

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hand — help
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. row — a line
  6. rock — music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — to paddle
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. branch — a division
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. season — of the year
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — a stone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. season — to add flavour

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