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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. dip — to sink
  7. content — the amount
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fall — the season
  14. content — happy
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — a video
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bass — the fish
  24. clip — for paper

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