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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · swing · bass · squash · wax · face · prune · vault

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bass — the fish
  8. vault — a safe
  9. hand — help
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. swing — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bass — low music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — part of the head

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