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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stock — goods
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. swing — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mate — to breed
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. swing — to play on
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stock — a soup base

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