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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wax — to grow
  4. club — a group
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. lean — to bend
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. club — for golf
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lean — thin
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. swing — music
  18. dip — to dunk

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