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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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. wax — in the ear
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — music
  7. bass — low music
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. march — the month
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — a series
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — hasty
  19. lean — to bend
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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