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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — low music
  5. content — happy
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wax — to grow
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. content — the amount
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rock — a stone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rock — music

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