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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bass — low music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. root — the cause
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. root — of a word
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. jam — in traffic

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