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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: rush · spring · leaves · wax · tube · face · stem · branch

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. face — to point toward
  3. spring — the season
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — to confront
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. tube — a container
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spring — of water
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. branch — a division
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rush — hurry
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. tube — the underground

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