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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chest — of your body
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bass — low music
  9. spring — of water
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chest — of your body
  12. land — ground
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. land — a country
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — a box
  19. spring — the season
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bass — the fish
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wax — for sculpting

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