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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · kid · saw · net · bass · branch · pass · ground

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ground — crushed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. branch — a division
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. net — in sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. net — after costs
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ground — the earth

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