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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · spring · craft · snap · capital · bark · wax · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — a city
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. branch — a division
  12. spring — of water
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. craft — boats
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. capital — money
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. craft — a skill

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