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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. club — for golf
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — to protest
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. club — for dancing
  12. object — an aim
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spell — letters
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. club — a group
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. object — a thing

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