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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. branch — a division
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. shower — rain
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bass — low music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bass — the instrument

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