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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. foot — a measure
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. club — for dancing
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wax — to grow
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ground — a position
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — to drill
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. club — a group
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. game — a match
  18. bore — to tire
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. ground — the earth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. deal — a big deal

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