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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · pop · bass · wax · squash · perch · march · wake

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pop — soda
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — to recline
  6. squash — to crush
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. march — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pop — music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pop — to visit
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lie — an untruth

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