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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wax · bowl · spell · arm · bass · mark · hide · clip

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spell — magic
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spell — letters
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. clip — a video
  18. bass — the fish
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mark — a trace
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mark — a grade

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