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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. current — happening now
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. club — a group
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. club — for golf
  17. game — a match
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — dry grass

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