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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lean — thin
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lean — to bend
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a document
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

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