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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. club — a group
  3. net — in sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. swing — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — to grow
  15. net — after costs
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fine — all right
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. net — for catching
  23. fine — high quality
  24. club — for dancing

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