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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pop — music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pop — soda
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — finally
  12. hand — help
  13. object — to protest
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pop — to visit
  21. object — an aim
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. object — a thing
  24. hand — in cards

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