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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ground — a position
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — of water
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hand — help
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spring — the season
  21. swing — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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