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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — a group
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — for catching
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. net — after costs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. net — in sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. squash — the sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pop — music
  20. club — for golf
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. patient — a sick person

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