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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: pop · board · pound · march · rash · branch · safe · wax

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — music
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. board — a committee
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rash — hasty
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pound — a weight
  20. march — music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — soda
  24. board — to get on

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