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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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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: hide · wave · mine · bore · branch · arm · wax · swing

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. swing — music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bore — to drill
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. branch — a division

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