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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. march — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. bear — the animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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