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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 120 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: staff · bore · rash · sharp · branch · arm · ground · wax

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wax — to grow
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — a stick
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ground — a position
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — a series
  18. ground — crushed
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to tire

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