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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — final
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bass — low music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — to go on
  15. charge — in control
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. last — finally
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pass — a permit
  20. charge — a price
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cabinet — ministers

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