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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bass — the fish
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bank — for money
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wax — to grow
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — of water
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bank — for money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spring — the season
  22. scale — in music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — low music

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