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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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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: stem · tube · hand · scale · swing · firm · branch · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — a division
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. firm — steady
  10. stem — to come from
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. swing — music
  14. firm — a company
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — to grow
  18. hand — in cards
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. scale — size or range
  21. firm — decided
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. stem — of a plant

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