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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bat — the animal
  7. charge — electricity
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. charge — in control
  11. rock — music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. charge — a price
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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