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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — to grow
  5. object — to protest
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. snap — to click
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. bound — certain
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bass — low music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pop — to visit
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bass — the fish
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wax — for sculpting

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