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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 116 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: tear · band · suit · hide · branch · wax · hand · calf

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a music group
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hand — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hand — help
  20. tear — to rip
  21. band — a ring
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. tear — from crying

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