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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. hand — in cards
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hand — help
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. object — to protest
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. branch — a division
  18. bass — low music
  19. spell — letters
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. spell — magic
  24. kid — child

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