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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bass — low music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hand — help
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wax — to grow
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. prune — to trim

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