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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: chair · fall · arm · bass · wax · mine · pit · cabinet

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — to grow
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bass — low music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pit — in a race
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fall — the season

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