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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: pop · wax · race · mug · branch · net · rock · cold

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. race — humankind
  3. branch — a division
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rock — a stone
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. wax — to grow
  20. race — a contest
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rock — music
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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