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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: wax · branch · hand · squash · club · cap · bear · band

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — for dancing
  5. band — a ring
  6. wax — to grow
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. squash — to crush
  11. branch — a division
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hand — in cards
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hand — part of the body

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