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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · wax · bass · pitcher · season · pop · fall · sharp

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fall — the season
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. season — of the year
  11. bass — low music
  12. club — for golf
  13. season — in sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pop — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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