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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — to tire
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — to hit hard

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