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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. tube — a container
  4. swing — music
  5. field — for sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. swing — to play on
  10. field — farmland
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. land — to come down
  16. tube — the underground
  17. land — ground
  18. current — electric
  19. field — a subject
  20. current — happening now
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. current — of water
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bear — the animal

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