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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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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pop — soda
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. swing — to play on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. swing — music
  12. pop — music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance

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