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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.

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: squash · chest · drill · bass · wake · wax · deal · mine

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mine — for digging
  8. squash — to crush
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wake — a trail

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