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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — to come down
  5. stand — to bear
  6. land — a country
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spell — magic
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fine — all right
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spell — a short time
  18. land — ground
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. club — a group
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fine — high quality

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