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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pop — soda
  3. bass — low music
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rush — hurry
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pop — music
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bore — to tire

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