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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 120 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: arm · straw · track · racket · bulb · wax · land · branch

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bulb — for light
  6. land — ground
  7. bulb — for light
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. land — a country
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — to come down
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. track — a path
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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