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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: racket · wax · cell · hide · mine · chip · bass · march

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. march — the month

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