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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: root · branch · wax · snap · can · fork · spell · net

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. can — to be able to
  5. snap — to click
  6. net — in sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. net — after costs
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fork — in a road
  12. root — of a word
  13. net — for catching
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — to grow
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. spell — a short time
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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