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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bass — the fish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spell — magic
  7. rock — music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spell — letters
  11. roll — a list
  12. bass — low music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. club — a group
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spell — a short time
  22. club — for golf
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. roll — a cake

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