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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.

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: season · bass · rush · ball · wax · arm · squash · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bass — low music
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. ball — a dance
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — of the year
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. plane — a tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bass — the fish
  18. squash — to crush
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. season — in sport
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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