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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — a container
  3. row — to paddle
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. row — a line
  9. track — a song
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. track — a path
  13. lie — to recline
  14. face — to confront
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bass — the fish

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