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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.

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: bass · face · march · pitcher · wax · snap · pass · lie

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. snap — to click
  3. wax — to grow
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bass — low music
  9. lie — to recline
  10. face — part of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bass — the fish
  20. face — to point toward
  21. march — the month
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bass — the instrument

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