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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — a break
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chip — for betting
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — music
  12. bass — low music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chip — to eat
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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