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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. scale — size or range
  4. row — a line
  5. swing — to play on
  6. scale — in music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. swing — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bass — low music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — to grow
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — to handle

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