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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spell — magic
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. ground — crushed
  13. kick — in football
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bass — low music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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