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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. object — to protest
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. game — wild animals
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. track — to keep track
  13. object — a thing
  14. bass — the fish
  15. track — a path
  16. lean — thin
  17. object — an aim
  18. game — a match
  19. wax — to grow
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. bass — low music
  23. track — a song
  24. lean — to rest against

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