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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: pop · hand · mine · bound · wax · firm · cabinet · branch

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. firm — steady
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — in cards
  16. firm — decided
  17. mine — for digging
  18. branch — a division
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pop — music
  21. firm — a company
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — help
  24. branch — of a bank

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