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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: wax · cabinet · wound · cold · bass · roll · last · rash

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. last — finally
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rash — a series
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. last — to go on
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cold — not warm
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bass — low music
  23. last — final
  24. wound — an injury

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