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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — the fish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. band — a ring
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. firm — a company
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. band — a music group
  15. kid — to tease
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pop — to visit
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. firm — steady
  21. bass — low music
  22. kid — child
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. sharp — exactly

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