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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 · bay · sharp · present · rest · tear · bass · chair

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tear — from crying
  4. present — there
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — a break
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wax — to grow
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bass — low music
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. present — a gift
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — with an edge

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