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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bass — low music
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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