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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: wax · clip · nail · branch · chest · rock · rush · track

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rock — music
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — a stone
  10. track — a path
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wax — to grow
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. track — a song
  16. clip — a video
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chest — a box
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. branch — a division
  24. rock — to move gently

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