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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bass — low music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — to bear
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. swing — in golf
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. swing — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wax — to grow
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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