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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. band — a music group
  8. sharp — clever
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — to paddle
  14. band — a ring
  15. row — a line
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — to grow
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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