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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 · land · ruler · perch · trunk · mine · wax · snap

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wax — to grow
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. land — ground
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. land — to come down
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. branch — a division
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mine — for digging

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