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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. chair — a leader
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — in music
  15. club — a group
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. field — a subject
  19. band — a music group
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. band — a ring
  24. wound — an injury

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