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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. row — a line
  4. shower — rain
  5. bank — for money
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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