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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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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: fine · wax · wind · racket · mark · tube · bass · row

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — low music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. row — a line
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — the underground
  16. row — to paddle
  17. tube — a container
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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