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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
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: bass · file · lean · bulb · pound · wax · straw · chest

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. file — a document
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chest — a box
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — thin
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wax — to grow
  18. file — a line of people
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. file — a tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — low music

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