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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rock — music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spell — magic
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bass — low music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spell — letters
  24. rock — a stone

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