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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: fall · lean · wax · bass · season · firm · pop · ground

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bass — low music
  4. pop — soda
  5. firm — a company
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — a position
  10. fall — the season
  11. firm — decided
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. lean — thin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pop — music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wax — to grow

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