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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. land — ground
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. club — for golf
  8. kid — to tease
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. land — to come down
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. land — a country
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wake — before a funeral

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