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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. club — for golf
  6. rash — hasty
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — a group
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. roll — a list
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. rash — a series
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  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