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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · lie · bass · drill · wax · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. drill — army training
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lie — to recline
  11. swing — music
  12. bass — low music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — the fish

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