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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. firm — steady
  5. club — a group
  6. firm — a company
  7. spring — the season
  8. row — a line
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. firm — decided
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. club — for golf
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. charge — in control
  24. row — to paddle

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