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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 120 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: land · wax · sharp · bass · bowl · season · ground · tube

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. tube — the underground
  5. land — to come down
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — low music
  8. season — of the year
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — a country
  12. ground — the earth
  13. tube — a container
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. season — in sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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