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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.

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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: wax · bass · clip · roll · bear · ball · squash · season

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bear — the animal
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bass — the fish
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bass — low music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. clip — a video

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