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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. club — for dancing
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. craft — boats
  13. content — happy
  14. chip — to eat
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. content — the amount
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wax — to grow

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