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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: wax · rash · branch · rock · season · march · object · bass

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. season — of the year
  6. object — to protest
  7. march — music
  8. rash — hasty
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bass — low music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. object — an aim
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rash — a series
  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