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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 120 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — to handle
  7. board — to get on
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. can — a tin
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. board — a committee
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — low 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