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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: branch · scale · bass · wax · pitcher · spring · arm · chair

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. branch — a division
  4. scale — in music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

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