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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. game — a match
  4. track — a path
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. track — to keep track
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wax — to grow
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. club — for dancing
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — a song
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. swing — music
  24. lash — to lash out

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