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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. club — a group
  7. stand — to bear
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for golf

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