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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. net — after costs
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. net — for catching
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. swing — music

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