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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a ring
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. court — of a king
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. swing — music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — to play on
  14. court — for sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — of law
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wax — in the ear
  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