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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: sharp · wax · wake · pit · straw · bass · foot · tube

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. foot — a measure
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tube — a container
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bass — low music
  24. wax — in the ear

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