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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bass — low music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. toast — bread
  8. band — a music group
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — letters
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bound — certain
  24. last — final

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