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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 · wax · fan · straw · arm · nail · cue · rash

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cue — for pool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bass — low music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cue — a hint
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — a series
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. straw — dry grass

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