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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pop — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bass — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mate — to breed
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pop — soda
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cap — of ice

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