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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.

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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: perch · bass · can · wax · hand · file · lean · lie

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bass — low music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. perch — the fish
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a document
  15. hand — help
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bass — the fish
  22. file — a tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lean — to rest against

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