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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: ruler · can · branch · spring · shower · pitcher · wax · club

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. club — a group
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. club — for golf
  15. wax — to grow
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — a division

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