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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. staff — employees
  5. perch — the fish
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bound — certain
  14. root — of a word
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bound — tied together
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. club — a group
  22. root — the cause
  23. staff — employees
  24. club — for golf

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