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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — a box
  20. can — a tin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — low music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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