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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. court — of a king
  3. bass — low music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. court — of law
  6. race — humankind
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — the underground
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. craft — boats
  13. bass — the fish
  14. perch — the fish
  15. court — for sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. race — the arms race
  19. craft — a skill
  20. race — a contest
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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