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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. capital — a city
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bulb — for light
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. swing — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bound — obliged
  11. snap — to click
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bulb — for light
  14. root — of a plant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. root — of a word
  18. swing — to play on
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. root — the cause
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. capital — money
  24. wax — to grow

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