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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: pound · deal · mate · wind · bass · date · mug · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mate — a partner
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mug — a face
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bass — low music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. date — on the calendar

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