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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. clip — a video
  4. ground — the earth
  5. club — for golf
  6. clip — to cut
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. swing — music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. clip — for paper
  15. scale — size or range
  16. club — a group
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. root — of a word
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. root — the cause
  22. scale — in music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ground — crushed

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