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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.

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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 · swing · bass · wake · fork · pound · saw · wax

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. swing — in golf
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fork — in a road
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. swing — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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