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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. capital — money
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. club — for golf
  9. wax — to grow
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. capital — a city
  17. club — a group
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. snap — to click
  24. club — for dancing

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