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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 124 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — in biology
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bass — low music
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. present — the time now
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pound — a weight
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. club — for golf
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. present — a gift
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — there

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