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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bark — to shout
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — to handle
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hand — help
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — a division
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bass — the instrument

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