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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bass — low music
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — of water
  6. rest — a break
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pop — soda
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pop — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spring — the season
  24. bass — the fish

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