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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. board — a committee
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wax — to grow
  7. board — to get on
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bound — certain
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — low music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. fall — the season
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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