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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. last — finally
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bass — the fish
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — to bear
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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