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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bass — low music
  16. charge — electricity
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — a price
  19. wax — to grow
  20. charge — in control
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wax — in the ear

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