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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. club — a group
  3. swing — music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — farmland
  9. fine — all right
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spring — of water
  12. field — for sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. club — for dancing
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spring — the season
  22. club — for golf
  23. field — a subject
  24. swing — to play on

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