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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. can — a tin
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pop — music
  16. swing — music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pop — soda
  21. lean — thin
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wake — a trail
  24. can — a tin

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