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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.

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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
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: bass · scale · straw · bulb · march · chair · spell · wax

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — magic
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. spell — letters
  14. march — the month
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wax — to grow
  22. march — music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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