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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bass — low music
  24. march — 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