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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: mate · chair · bass · wax · arm · rest · bark · lean

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rest — a break
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bark — to shout
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bass — low music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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