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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stand — to bear
  3. can — a tin
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. staff — employees
  6. wax — to grow
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. row — a line
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. staff — employees
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. row — to paddle
  21. staff — a stick
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stand — for spectators

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