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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. chest — a box
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. swing — music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. swing — to play on
  21. capital — money
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wax — to grow
  24. capital — a city

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