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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · nail · branch · wax · arm · firm · prune · tear

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. firm — steady
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — a company
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — a division
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ground — a position
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — decided
  18. tear — from crying
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ground — the earth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wax — in the ear

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