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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
468
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: bass · branch · content · wax · wind · board · ball · cap

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — low music
  4. content — happy
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. board — to get on
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ball — a great time
  16. content — the amount
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ball — a dance
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. board — a committee
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cap — a lid

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