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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — low music
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. current — electric
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — happening now
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — of water
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cabinet — ministers

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