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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
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: wax · file · cell · bark · pop · craft · bass · fine

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fine — all right
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cell — a phone
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pop — music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. file — a document
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bass — low music
  21. pop — soda
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. craft — a handicraft

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