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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: band · bass · saw · branch · fine · bear · jam · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — low music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. band — a ring
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — all right
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. branch — a division
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. band — a music group
  24. bass — the fish

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