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

Word bank: bass · swing · last · cue · spell · file · wax · roll

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. roll — a list
  4. last — final
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cue — a signal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cue — a hint
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spell — letters
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. last — to go on
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — finally
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cue — for pool
  24. roll — a cake

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