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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wax — to grow
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — for golf
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. club — a group
  19. game — a match
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bound — certain
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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