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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: bass · ball · drill · wound · rock · arm · rush · wax

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the fish
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a dance
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rush — hurry
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bass — low music
  24. rock — music

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