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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. roll — a list
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — a face
  5. club — a group
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. roll — a cake
  12. current — electric
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — to grow
  15. club — for dancing
  16. current — happening now
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. club — for golf
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — a cup

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