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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wax — to grow
  6. court — of a king
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. court — for sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. dip — to sink
  15. court — of law
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bark — to shout
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. capital — a city
  24. wake — before a funeral

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