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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: key · arm · bass · wax · fine · hide · branch · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the fish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fine — all right
  8. branch — a division
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. key — in music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fine — a penalty

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