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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. squash — the sport
  4. scale — size or range
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pass — a permit
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tube — the underground
  17. scale — in music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bass — the fish
  23. tube — a container
  24. date — the fruit

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