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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. content — happy
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bulb — for light
  17. shower — rain
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. shower — to wash
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — to grow
  23. face — to confront
  24. content — videos and posts

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