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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — final
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. suit — to fit
  6. squash — to crush
  7. suit — clothes
  8. last — finally
  9. suit — in cards
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — low music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — to grow
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bass — the fish
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — to go on

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