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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bass — low music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mug — a face
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pitch — a sports field

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