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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. track — a path
  6. wax — to grow
  7. date — the fruit
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — a coil
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. dip — to sink
  12. chair — a leader
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — to keep track
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. club — for dancing
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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