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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. club — a group
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. club — for golf
  16. rash — hasty
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rash — a series
  23. wax — to grow
  24. nail — for a hammer

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