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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rock — music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bass — low music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hand — help
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mate — to breed

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