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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: bass · cabinet · wax · ball · clip · cold · deal · mug

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wax — to grow
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cold — an illness
  24. clip — a video

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