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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bass — low music
  11. lean — thin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. craft — boats
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — to grow

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