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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. swing — music
  9. root — the cause
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cell — in biology
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. root — of a word
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cell — a phone
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spring — of water
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spring — the season
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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