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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · race · land · wax · trunk · branch · ball · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ball — a dance
  4. race — humankind
  5. scale — in music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — ground
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. race — the arms race
  17. scale — size or range
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — a division
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ball — a great time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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