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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. club — for golf
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. field — farmland
  14. rush — hurry
  15. field — a subject
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — for sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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