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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — of water
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bulb — for light
  11. board — a committee
  12. wax — to grow
  13. spring — the season
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. row — a line
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. board — to get on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bass — the instrument

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