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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bass — the fish
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — a lid
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bank — for money

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