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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: patient · branch · bulb · perch · pop · lean · mine · wax

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — for digging
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wax — to grow
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pop — music
  14. lean — to bend
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. branch — a division
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pop — soda
  22. lean — thin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — to visit

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