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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lean — thin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. lean — to bend
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. snap — to click
  10. swing — music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bass — low music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — to grow
  17. swing — in golf
  18. squash — to crush
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ball — a round shape

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