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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: branch · club · can · lean · hand · wax · season · foot

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lean — thin
  3. club — for golf
  4. wax — to grow
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. can — to be able to
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. club — a group
  14. season — of the year
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — in cards
  17. club — for dancing
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. branch — of a tree

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