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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. present — the time now
  10. board — to get on
  11. hand — help
  12. present — a gift
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. swing — music
  18. present — there
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. swing — to play on
  23. board — a committee
  24. swing — in golf

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