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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bass — the fish
  3. land — ground
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. foot — a measure
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. scale — in music
  9. land — to come down
  10. wax — to grow
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. land — a country
  14. bass — low music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. scale — for weighing

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