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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. net — for catching
  5. drill — army training
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — happening now
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — in sport
  14. club — for golf
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mate — to breed
  17. net — after costs
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. club — a group
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. wax — to grow
  24. drill — the tool

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