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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. club — a group
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wax — to grow
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. key — the most important part
  12. roll — a list
  13. lean — to bend
  14. roll — a cake
  15. foot — a measure
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. lean — thin
  21. key — in music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. club — for dancing
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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