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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: cue · degree · wax · branch · vault · bass · arm · bear

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cue — a hint
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cue — for pool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wax — to grow
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bass — low music
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cue — a signal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wax — in the ear

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