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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lean — thin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. court — for sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. court — of a king
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. court — of law

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