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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.

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: cold · stick · last · branch · root · rush · mine · wax

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mine — for digging
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. root — of a word
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — to go on
  14. cold — not warm
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — a division
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rush — hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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