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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. kid — child
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fine — high quality
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fine — all right
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — to grow
  21. row — a line
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bass — the fish
  24. snap — to click

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