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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bass — low music
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. press — newspapers
  14. club — a group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. club — for golf
  19. rock — a stone
  20. press — to push
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — music
  24. wax — to grow

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