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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cue — for pool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pop — soda
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. file — a tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a line of people
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bass — low music
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the instrument

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