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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. last — final
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — finally
  7. charge — a price
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. ground — a position
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. charge — in control

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