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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bass — low music
  3. kick — in football
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spell — magic
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rock — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — help
  17. spell — letters
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rock — a stone

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