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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — a trace
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. shower — rain
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bass — low music
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bass — the fish

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