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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bass — the fish
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. row — a line
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stock — shares
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. face — to point toward
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bass — low music
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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