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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. charge — in control
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ball — a great time
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — to shout
  9. club — for dancing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — to grow
  14. squash — the sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ball — a dance
  21. charge — electricity
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. charge — a price
  24. scale — for weighing

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