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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — the time now
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. present — there
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. court — of law
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. present — a gift
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fan — a supporter

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