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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wax — to grow
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bass — low music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — music
  24. stock — shares

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