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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: plane · bank · bear · wax · branch · last · staff · capital

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — to go on
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wax — to grow
  7. capital — money
  8. last — finally
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. last — final
  14. staff — a stick
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bank — for money
  21. capital — a city
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wax — for sculpting

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