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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 · trunk · march · branch · rock · stand · fall · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rock — music
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bass — low music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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