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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. branch — a division
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bass — the fish
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stock — shares
  15. court — of a king
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. press — newspapers
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — goods
  23. press — to push
  24. chair — a leader

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