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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. club — for golf
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bound — obliged
  8. content — happy
  9. club — for dancing
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. content — the amount
  12. track — a song
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — a path
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bound — certain
  24. wax — to grow

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