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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. band — a ring
  3. bass — low music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. squash — to crush
  8. season — in sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — to grow

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