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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. swing — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bass — the fish
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fan — a supporter

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