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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wax — in the ear

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