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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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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bass — low music
  18. bound — certain
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — from crying

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