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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mark — a grade
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wind — moving air

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