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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.

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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: bear · rock · swing · present · wax · cabinet · kid · bass

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bear — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rock — music
  10. swing — music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. present — there
  13. bass — low music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. present — the time now
  22. kid — child
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — the fish

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