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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.

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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: can · capital · spring · branch · wax · staff · row · bulb

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — a stick
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spring — the season
  8. row — to paddle
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. row — a line
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — a city
  13. spring — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. can — a tin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — money
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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