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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. firm — a company
  8. pass — a permit
  9. firm — steady
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — certain
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. bound — obliged
  16. firm — decided
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — to grow
  24. branch — a division

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