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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — obliged
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bound — certain
  6. drill — army training
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — a cake
  19. scale — in music
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bass — low music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wax — in the ear

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